Anatomy of Viral Misinformation

Fake news succeeds not because people are stupid but because it exploits cognitive shortcuts that usually serve us well. A story that makes you angry, is shared by people you trust, and tells a clean, coherent tale feels true regardless of its accuracy.

Watching friends share it adds social proof: if everyone you know is passing it on, doubting it feels strange. By the time a correction appears, it rarely reaches the same crowd — the false version already won the race.